This is a Guest Post by Doug Palmer

Until Late July, I had never heard of David Gideon. I had been digging around the internet for great new talent, and this particular week I had been striking out hard, I just couldn’t find anyone new who really pulled me in on first listen. That all changed when I heard the crying steel guitar of David’s song “Red Boots”; A quick listen to the rest of the EP reinforced what I had suspected, I had found my favorite independent country find of 2017.

David’s 2017 5-song EP ‘Drifter’ is rich with the stories of the traveling man, relying on quality writing and musical skill rather than pomp and circumstance. That said, the big problem with EPs is this; if you enjoy it, you really wish there were twice as many songs. Lucky for us, David is hard at work on several more songs to bring us a full-length album in 2018.

I reached out to David in September, to see if he was interested in an interview. At the time he was on tour in California, but come mid-October, I finally had a chance to chat with him about his musical style, his life, and his future plans. David is an interesting guy; he came across as mild mannered, a hard worker, and genuinely thankful for the place he is at right now. He relayed stories of his past, the toils of the traveling life, and his recent string of memorable experiences as he works to create this full-length record. The day we spoke, David from fresh off laying down vocals at Threshold Studios in New York City, and later in this article, I will tell you about the amazing group of artists David put together to record with on this album.

The ‘Drifter’ EP starts off with the up-tempo "Cash On The Barrel", a fun outlaw song that reminds me a bit of Hank III. Next up, “Red Boots” is a steel-heavy honky-tonk ballad with a hint of swing; this one is a steel ride the whole way through thanks to the magic of Chris Scruggs. Rolling right into the middle of the album, we fall into my favorite song, “Drifter”; describing the typical here-today-gone-tomorrow of a traveling musician, this one comes across less cliché and more self-aware, rich with visualizations and snare drum to beat the band. “Heart Full of Hope” is the broken love song it describes in the lyrics, leaving us hoping he finds exactly where his skies are blue all day. The EP ends with “Wings of an Angel”; a 5-minute-long, soft-spoken tune that is perfect to close out the album, a metaphor for the end.

One thing I picked up on right away was the quality of the players on David’s EP, a quick bit of research found that he put together one hell of a band for this recording, which we discussed in length. We have David Roe on Bass, Kenny Vaughan on guitar, Steve Abbott on drums, and Chris Scruggs on his pedal-less steel guitar. Every one of these guys is a real-deal, top-notch musician with a resume that will make your head spin. Round it all off with David’s smooth vocals and you have a great 5-song record that leaves you just begging for more. I’m really hoping David is able to line up the same guys to round out the full-length album, not just because they are so good, but because it would really keep everything cohesive.

I really enjoyed talking to David about all the steps he is taking to create his own record label. From setting up tax IDs to talking to artists about cover art, there is so much more that goes into an album than laying down tracks. It’s easy to see why having someone do most of those things is easier, but if you are willing to put in the work, you can make sure everything plays out just how you want it to. The work of the independent artist is never done, but the unadulterated finish product is worth it.
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As someone who focuses on independent music, I hear far too often of talented artists grinding away for years and just not getting there, so it’s pretty refreshing to hear a guy talk about everything he is doing right now to bring his passion to the masses. It really feels like David is positioning himself to make big moves in the very near future.
Stay tuned here for more updates on David Gideon as he starts teasing us with singles off the forthcoming album, I know you will enjoy them.